1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to holsters for supporting surgical/medical instruments when not in use. In particular, this invention pertains to holsters for intake nozzles of medical and dental suction equipment, for example, in operating rooms.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
Prior art nozzle holsters include devices such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,551 issued on Jul. 1, 1986 to Ciechanowski et al. That device is for instruments having a flexible tube-like or cord-like extension attached to the nozzle end inserted into the holster (column 1, lines 50 to 52). To accommodate such an instrument the Ciechanowski device comprises an elongated cylindrical shell having an upper end, a lower end and a smoothly tapered longitudinal slot extending from the upper end to near the lower end and a means for attaching the apparatus to a surface in an orientation favourable to the us of the force of gravity to cradle the instrument in the shell against random dislodging forces (column 1, lines 53 to 59). The slot in the Ciechanowski device does not extend the full length of the device. The bottom of the slot cradles the instrument near the point of attachment of the instrument to the tube-like or cord-like extension (column 1, line 59 to column 2, line 5). Even if the Ciechanowski slot had a clip-like function, if one inserted a bubble wrapped instrument in the Ciechanowski device the instrument would tend to slip out of the wrap if the wrap were to fit loosely enough around the instrument to allow for easy insertion and withdrawal of the instrument from the wrap. Contaminants would tend to travel down the instrument to the extension and onto the Ciechanowski device. The Ciechanowski device therefore is susceptible to contamination by the material worked on as a result of the structure, size and configuration of that device.
Prior art nozzle holsters also include two further types of devices having vertical openings therein and which, like the Ciechanowski device, result in a trade-off between preventing contamination and easy insertion and withdrawal of the instrument. One type is an elongated device the opening in which is a groove of substantially C-shaped transverse cross-section for gripping the upper end of the sides of a nozzle. The other type comprises a sheet-like platform having one or more holes there through for the insertion and withdrawal of a nozzle. Nozzles of medical and dental suction equipment are connected to long hoses which tend to pull them from those holsters, resulting in contamination by, or of, the environment around those holsters. Moreover, the openings in each type of these two types of prior art devices are of a size and location only to receive a nozzle alone, not a nozzle having a bubble wrap surrounding it
In the alternative to using the above-mentioned prior art devices, medical and dental operating room suction nozzles have sometimes been held, between uses, by being inserted between a cushion below the patient and the operating table. This is unhygienic due to contamination and is generally not satisfactory.